Agricultural News

Top End Farms of Colorado Uses "Naturally Raised" Program to Market Their Angus Cattle

Tue, 14 Mar 2017 11:11:30 CDT

For a program growing natural beef, few sick animals equals success. Often, weaning is the biggest challenge. But not for Top End Farms.

“These calves have stayed on these cows until November, then we will move them to wheat pasture. We will take these cows and calves and they will be on there for about two weeks,” said Jerry Hasart, manager of Top End Farms from Bethune, Colo. “We bring the cows in and the calves in and separate them, give them their first shot in the fall and then we will lock the cows up in the pens next to the wheat fields and then we will let the calves run, like open range back on the wheat pasture. They know where the water is, they know where the feed is and they love it.”

The low-stress weaning program means less than 3 percent of calves ever need doctoring.

“From there in the springtime we take them off and put them in pens,” he said, “keep growing them until we feel the date we want to put them on feed and then we put them on the feed for a harvest date that we choose on the natural program.

Top End Farms went “natural” a decade ago, allowing years to perfect their processes, now part of the Certified Angus Beef ® brand Natural supply chain.

“We got into the natural program because resources said we can with a couple of as working as young kids at that time, we thought this opportunity would work well for our program,” Hasart concluded. “So we step into it. It takes a little more paperwork, which we can take care of, and the humane handling of the animals, which is what consumer wants us to do, and we strive to do that every day."

Click or tap on the PLAYBOX below to watch a clip featuring Jerry Hasart, manager of Top End Farms from Bethune, Colo., talk about how they have adjusted their weaning program to fit with the natural beef that they grow.